Journey Home
by JazziePerson
Summary: Post Ep for Next Tuesday. Floating in that oil rig, Magnus wondered if anyone was going to come and help them or if they really were going to die there. Spoilers for Next Tuesday.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hey guys. This is my first Sanctuary story so I hope it's alright. This is a three parter so please review and tell me what you think. Thank you.

Journey Home

Chapter 1 –

The sun peeped over the horizon, throwing a few shafts of light down into the oil rig. Magnus looked up wearily and closed her eyes for a few seconds, allowing the sunlight to warm her face. She opened them a second later, intent on not falling asleep and readjusted her grip on Will and the piece of rubble that was keeping her afloat. It was now probably around five in the morning, given the amount of light and they'd been inside the oil rig for about eleven hours. Eleven hours of hanging onto a floating crate in freezing cold water with no food, water or indication of rescue. Will hadn't been able to stay conscious after the ninth hour and so for the last two, Magnus had been doing her best to keep his head above water. She was exhausted, light-headed and had been battling with serious cramping in her legs for the last forty minutes.

Despite the successful radio signal and the explosion, nobody had appeared to help them and at the earliest, Kate wouldn't start to be concerned for the next seventeen hours. And Magnus wasn't sure she could hold on for two more hours let alone seventeen. She could no longer feel her fingers or feet until she moved them, and then she felt agonizing waves of pain emanating from whichever extremity had been moved.

The one thing that had been in their favour was, perhaps, that the squid and scorpion had not reappeared in the time the pair had been floating. Magnus was convinced that, had they resurfaced, neither she nor Will would've had the strength to fight them off. Nor had she anymore ideas of how to get rid of them.

Magnus blinked fiercely, trying to fight off sleep. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd skipped the night's sleep. In fact, she'd missed several consecutive nights before now. But, having skipped the night before they'd flown out to pick up the squid, in addition to fighting off said squid and the scorpion and then treading water for ten hours was not something she'd experienced before.

There was a clanging from above and Magnus looked up. She was blinded but the light and wanted desperately to shield her face with her hand but that would mean letting go of her life raft or letting go of Will. And there was no way she was doing either.

"Help! Help us!" She shouted as loud as she could, until her throat hurt. "Help! Help us please!"

There was silence again as soon as her voice stopped reverberating around the oil rig. There was no sound. No indication that there had been any sound at all.

As she felt another wave of helplessness wash over her and for a moment, she honestly felt like crying. She had no idea what to do. She was exhausted and she could see her fingers slipping. She would drown if she let go, Will would drown. But, honestly, she was struggling to care right now. Nothing seemed important anymore.

"Hello?" A voice echoed down.

Magnus' head jerked up, causing her to bob in the water. "Help! Help us!" She yelled.

"We're coming. Just hold on."

Magnus was tempted to roll her eyes at that statement but restrained herself; she was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth when rescue was so imminent. She flexed her fingers, gritted her teeth against the pain and tightened her grip.

There was silence for about ten minutes. Then, "Can you swim to the side? I'm going to throw down a walkie."

Magnus attempted to move her legs and pull Will with her but her muscles screamed and she was panting by the time the pain subsided. "Not looking good."

"What quadrant of the rig are you in?" Came the next question.

Magnus glanced up, working out where the sun was. "South East."

There was a sudden sound of whistling and then a loud smack as the package hit the water, small waves rippling out from the point of impact. Magnus thought for a moment before hauling Will's arm further over her shoulder and letting go of the piece of plastic. She immediately sunk and thrashed for the surface, pain running through each muscle. When she broke the surface, she took a deep breath and slowly swam across the water to where the package bobbed.

Using her teeth and her free hand, she ripped off the plastic while attempting to stay above water. Inside, was a waterproof walkie talkie. She pushed the plastic away.

"This is Dr Helen Magnus and I have Dr Will Zimmerman with me, over." She coughed as she sunk a little.

"Dr Magnus, this is Jason Miller. I've got a chopper here but it may take some time to get you out of there. How you holding up? Over."

"Well, you, sooner is better and all that. We have been here for eleven hours." Magnus was grinding her teeth as another jolt of pain shot through her leg as she pushed herself further above the water. "How long do you think it's going to take? Over."

"Anything above thirty minutes." Jason sounded apologetic. "Anything I can get for you while you wait? Over."

Magnus snorted. "A four poster bed would be nice. Over."

"It's on its way. Over." Jason joked and then Helen was left alone with the radio silence.

She swam painfully back to her piece of rubble and grabbed hold of it, hanging on for dear life. An end in sight did make it easier but, the idea of holding on for much longer made the notion of letting go very appealing.

Time passed slowly. When the radio crackled to life again, Magnus was almost unconscious.

"Dr Magnus? Are you there? Over."

Magnus pulled the walkie talkie closer to her face. "Just about. Over."

"I'm going to be lowered from the helicopter in a harness with an additional one attached. We'll have to do this one at a time. Over."

"Alright. Over."

There was a faint whirring noise from above and a few minutes later, a figure was lowered into view. He stopped about a foot above the water.

"It's nice to meet you in person, Dr Magnus." Jason Miller. "I'd shake your hand but we have more pressing issues at hand, don't you agree?"

Magnus was almost unconscious but she nodded. "Take Will first." She ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." Jason mock saluted and reached down. Magnus removed Will's arm from her shoulder and attempted to lift him, kicking urgently at the water. Having been moving around for a while now, the pain was less intense but there remained a whisper of it on the peripheries of her mind. She was dunked completely in her effort to lift Will and the cold water renewed her shivering. Jason managed to clip Will into the harness and was holding him against his chest as he began to ascend. "I'll be back momentarily."

"Take your time," Magnus shouted up to him. She felt strangely light, a feeling she attributed to the lack of Will's body weighing her down. He wasn't particularly heavy but a soaking wet, dead weight on your back with no solid ground beneath your feet was enough to do anyone in. She closed her eyes, exhausted. Just a few more minutes... just a bit longer...

Jason was back a few minutes later. He grabbed her wrists and lifted her gently up to his level. He placed her arms around his neck while he buckled her into the harness and she was only too happy to comply. When she was secure, Jason disentangled himself from Magnus' arms and smiled at her. He held out his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Magnus shook his hand but raised an eyebrow.

"I've been following your work." Jason clarified. "My brother has been a resident of the New York Sanctuary for the last three years. I can't thank you enough."

Magnus' smile warmed. "I'd love to talk to you more about it but in the interests of remaining polite, I have to warn you that I may pass out any minute. Treading water for eleven hours will do that." Magnus was watching the rig spin as her brain finally gave up.

The last thing she heard was, "I'll see you at the hospital when you wake up."

**A/N 2:** I know the cramp seems extreme but anyone who has had really bad cramps due to exhaustion will tell you how painful they are. I've had several and they are honestly the most painful thing I've ever experienced.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** So, thank you to the people who reviewed. Having not been on Fanfiction for a while, I'd forgotten how awesome it feels to get nice reviews. So thank you very much! Also, excuse any mistakes I make: being from England, there are many Americanisms that escape me so please bear that in mind. I try to use other phrases when I can but I thought I'd just note that here. I'm a Brit and proud of it, like Magnus so there are some things that don't make connections in my head. Anyway, here is the second chapter and I'll put the third up tomorrow. I'm also working on a few other Sanctuary things, such as a Post Ep for End of Nights (2) and a Sanctuary crossover story. Please review!

Journey Home

Chapter 2 –

When Magnus came to, she was relieved to feel warm. She swallowed, blinked and then opened her eyes again. From what she could see, she believed she was in hospital. The white walls and ceiling in addition to the chemical smell were a major giveaway.

"Hey! Magnus!" Will's voice brought her focus back.

She blinked again and pushed herself slowly into a vaguely upright position. Will reached forward and piled the pillows behind her back. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore." She flexed her fingers and toes, wincing a little. "What about you?"

Will shrugged. "I don't remember how we got here. I just woke here a few hours ago." He looked at her questioningly.

Magnus explained briefly the events of their rescue. When she was done, Will raised his eyebrows. "Jason was here about ten minutes ago actually. He wanted a contact number to call. I gave him the number to call Kate. He said he'd be back when he got hold of her."

Magnus nodded. "Where are we exactly?"

"We're at Baton Rouge General, back in New Orleans." Will informed her. He took hold of his IV and dragged it with him as he moved to sit down on the bedside chair. "It seems Jason had us flown back here from the rig."

Seeing the IV, Magnus looked down and saw that she herself had a drip attached to her. "What time is it?"

"Almost eleven am."

Magnus raised her eyebrows. "Okay, we've been here around four hours."

"Actually, it's more like three and a half." Jason said, leaning on the door frame.

Magnus and Will turned to look at him. "We meet again." Magnus smiled.

"Indeed we do." Jason grinned. "I've just spoken with Kate, for the second time. She's been on the phone to the closest Sanctuary and they're going to fly you both privately back to Old City."

Will looked at Magnus and raised his eyebrows. "We should leave her in charge more often."

Magnus' lips twitched before she turned back to Jason. "Thank you for all you help, Jason. I'm not sure where Will and I would be if you hadn't come to our rescue."

"It was a pleasure. I would've come sooner but all flights were grounded yesterday evening due to a storm."

"No problem. We're just grateful that you came at all." Magnus held out her hand to him.

He shook it warmly. "I'm very pleased to have met both of you. The plane should be at the closest airship in half an hour. A car will be outside reception for the both of you in about ten minutes. There are clothes for you in this bag." Jason picked up the bag he'd been carrying when he arrived and place it on the bottom of Helen's bed.

"Thank you."

"Anytime." Jason gave them both a wave and left the room, closing the door behind him. It had barely swung shut before a nurse appeared. She smiled warmly at them.

"Are you guys ready to go home?" she asked.

"Oh, yes." Will nodded.

The nurse reached for his IV and detached it easily. When she reached for Magnus', Will expected her to brush off the help... she did know how to do it after all... but she didn't. She let the nurse remove the IV and then watched as she left. Will raised an eyebrow at her but she just sent him a knowing look before pushing back the sheets on the bed.

Will unzipped the bag and pulled out a white, button-up shirt and a pair of khakis, along with the appropriate underwear and socks. He glanced around before heading for the ensuite bathroom. "I'll change in here."

Magnus nodded, stretching her aching limbs. As soon as the door was closed behind Will, she reached, somewhat stiffly, into the bag and pulled out a pair of jeans, a black button-up shirt, underwear, socks and a pair of flat shoes. Under her shoes was a pair presumably for Will. It took her much longer than usual to get dressed, something she attributed to the post-cramp pain but she worked slowly, determined not to have to ask for help. She was just sitting on the bed, tying the laces for her shoes when there was a knock from behind the bathroom door.

"Magnus? You done?"

"Yes. Sorry Will, you can come out now." Magnus straightened up and rolled her shoulders.

Will opened the door and walked over to the bag, pulling out the pair of shoes. He slipped them on, not bothering the tie them up and instead tucked the laces into the shoes with his feet. He stood up and looked over at Magnus. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She smiled. "Now, let's go and find that car."

Will nodded and held the door for Magnus to walk through. He watched as she walked down the corridor, a little ahead of him. Her movements were slow and uncomfortable but already better than when she'd first stood up about ten minutes ago. He smiled and shook his head. Nothing brought down Helen Magnus.

He broke into a jog to catch up with her and in a matter of minutes, they'd found the front entrance of the hospital. A car was parked parallel to the double doors with its passenger side door thrown open. A man sat in the driver's seat and when Magnus and Will stepped through the front doors, he looked up with a smile.

"Doctors Magnus and Zimmerman?" he asked.

"Yes," Magnus nodded.

"That's us." Will confirmed.

The man jumped out of the car and jogged around to their side to open the door for them. Will stood back and held out a hand, gesturing Magnus into the car. She accepted and slid in, shuffling to the other side to let Will in too. Their driver shut their door and moved back to the driver's seat. Switching on the ignition, he twisted his head back to look at them.

"I've been told to take you to the airport. Is that correct?"

Will nodded. "Thanks."

"Well, should take us about half an hour at this time of the morning." He pursed his lips apologetically.

"That's fine." Will wondered when he'd taken command. He glanced over at Magnus. She was leant back in her seat, staring vacantly out of the window. As the car began to pull away from the hospital, Will saw her eyelids begin to flutter shut. A moment later, she was sound asleep, her shoulders relaxed and her breathing even. Will watched her for a second longer. It was intriguing, if he was perfectly honest. When asleep, Magnus seemed different. Although Will never would've said it to her face, she was a complete control freak and always seemed calm and utterly composed but when she was asleep, she was quiet, almost as if she wasn't quite there.

The car hit a pothole and her eyelids flickered. Will wasn't surprised; even unconscious Magnus was alert. He was having some difficulty articulating his thoughts, something he put down to having spent a night treading water on an abandoned oil rig, but he couldn't quite get over how peaceful Magnus looked. It was like all the tension, the hurt and the years filled with death and isolation simply melted away. Although she showed no sign of dreaming, Will hoped she was seeing Ashley, before the Cabal had stolen her.

Suddenly overwhelmed by his own exhaustion, Will closed his eyes, intending just to rest for a moment. But before he could stop himself, he too had fallen into a deep sleep.

Their driver, a man by the name of Philip LaMontagne glanced in his rear view mirror and smiled at the pair of them, sound asleep. From what his old friend, Jason had told him, the two of them had been stranded at sea over night and from the look of it, were completely exhausted. He slowed the car slightly, hoping this would prevent them from waking up when the car hit speed bumps.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Here comes the last part. It's short because, really, there wasn't much more to tell but I thought it would be nice to see them get home. Big thank you and shout out to melissaadams22 for her fantastic support and encouragement. Also, I'm working on a few new things that should be up in the next few days so please check those out. Thanks again for reading this and please review :)

Journey Home

Chapter 3 –

Magnus unlocked the front door to the Sanctuary and pushed it open. She stepped through and Will followed her. They paused for a moment inside and simply stared around at the cavernous foyer. After the horrendous few days they'd had, simply being home was a huge relief. Before they'd managed another step, Kate appeared, running down the main stairway.

"Hey guys!" she called. "Are you okay, Doc, Will?"

"We're fine Kate," Magnus smiled. "Thank you."

Will nodded and grinned tiredly at her. "Yeah, seriously Kate, thanks. I don't know what we would've done without you. I have no idea how we would've gotten home."

"No problem." Kate smiled, tucking her hands in the pockets of her jeans. She wasn't going to admit how rattled she'd been when she'd heard that the Doc and Will had spent the night stranded on an abandoned oil rig in the middle of an ocean.

Magnus ran a hand through her hair. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and take a shower and then go to bed."

Philip had woken both Will and Magnus when they'd arrived at the airstrip. She'd been surprised that she'd fallen asleep but not too worried but it. The plane that had been borrowed for them had been small, fitting maximum twenty people. Magnus greeted the pilot and confirmed their destination before flopping down into a seat midway down the plane. Being a private plane, there was decent legroom and one seat on each side of the aisle. Will sat down across the aisle from Magnus even though he had a whole plane to choose from. After the events of the day before and the argument that they'd had, he was reluctant to be too far away. He'd nearly drowned, Magnus had very nearly drowned and being separated from each other felt a bit scary, like they were going to lose each other again.

And again, they'd both fallen asleep almost before the plane had taken off. The pilot had woken them when they'd arrived and they'd thanked him before getting into a car that Kate had again arranged for them. They'd arrived home at five in the afternoon.

"Right, yeah. We'll see you in the morning." Will touched her arm and smiled.

Magnus nodded and turned away but before she'd taken a step, Kate spoke. "Doc?"

"Yes?"

"It's good to see you back safe." Kate seemed almost hesitant to speak.

Magnus smiled. "Thanks, Kate." Then she walked away, up the stairs towards her room.

Will focussed his attention back to Kate. "I might follow her example and jump in the shower. But I'm thinking food would be good too. Magnus may be able to skip meals but I can't. Do you wanna grab some dinner from the kitchen?"

Kate slapped him on the shoulder. "Sure."

As they made their way to the kitchen, Will sighed with relief. It was so good to be home.


End file.
